Letter 1069. To the Assistant and Religious of the
My very dear Daughter,—So God has taken to Himself our dear Mother Claude Agnes de la Roche+ that she may
And to you, my dearest Sister Assistant, to you, I say, while awaiting the election, govern this chosen flock with profound humility and in accordance with the example given you by the holy deceased. Within the monastery let your bearing be exceedingly gentle and be exact in the observance. To those without be modest in your demeanour and devout in your conversation, so as to continue to diffuse on all sides this dear Mother’s good odour of perfect virtue.
Elsewhere the Saint says: ‘ My grief is the more justified in that our Institute has, by the death of Mother Agnes de la Roche, lost one of its greatest subjects. We are all under infinite obligations to her, and amongst us her dear memory deserves to be immortalised. She it was who collected with such care the manuscripts of our Blessed Father and the greater part of his sermons, Such a retentive memory had she that she could recite word for word what this great prelate had preached several days before.’
No, indeed, my daughter, I shall not be troubled about your house, for God will, I trust, be its master and its pilot. Assure all the sisters that I keep them in my heart, but you yourself particularly, to whom I am, etc.1
Footnotes
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The venerable Mother de la Roche died on December 30, 1630. St. Jane Frances has consecrated the following lines to her memory in the Book of Vows of the first monastery of Annecy: ‘ She exercised all the rejoice, as we hope, in the repose and happiness which, by His Blood, our Saviour has purchased for us; the reward of her humility, her ardent love of God, and her great patience. Were I to tell you how deeply I feel this loss it would but add to your own suffering. You are all, I am sure, abiding in a loving submission to the divine decrees which, at such bitter and sorrowful moments, we must lovingly resign ourselves to accept. Take to your hearts then, my daughters, God’s will in this, and live, all of you, in complete union, and on the sisterly terms so much recommended to you by this holy soul. As she told you to await the next feast of the Ascension for your election, you should obey her, seeing also that there is not much time between this and then, and when it comes you will elect whom God inspires you to choose. But, I beg of you, regard only Him and trust absolutely to His providence. So will you experience the effects of His goodness. I say this to all of you, my very dear daughters, with that tender and cordial affection which God has given me for your souls. highest offices in the Institute with very remarkable humility, prudence, forbearance, and patience. Following the example of some of the great servants of God, this truly humble religious sought to be humiliated and despised with absolute avidity. So much was she enamoured of these lovable virtues that, had she been allowed, she would have acted as a fool in order to court contempt and derision. With such a liberal hand had God endowed her with sweetness and patience that she never appeared to have been troubled by any feelings contrary to them.’ ↩
Chapter 115 of 252